Winter Storm, Northern Sacramento Valley
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM PST to December 11, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Northern Sacramento Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 45
Winter Storm in California, December 9 to 11, 1996
A Pacific storm produced heavy rains and strong wind in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys. 5 to 3 feet of snow at higher elevations.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS STO wrote it up.
A Pacific storm produced heavy rains and strong wind in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys. Snow accumulations in the mountains measured 10 inches at Lake Tahoe and 2.5 to 3 feet of snow at higher elevations. Minor flooding occurred in Solano county and in the city of Turlock (Stanislaus county), and the rain caused numerous motor vehicle accidents, but the chief effect was power outages--36,300 homes and businesses, mainly in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The figure also includes 12,000 homes and businesses in Stockton (San Joaquin county). The KCPM television station lost a transimitter in Tehama county. State Highway 88 through the Sierra Nevada mountains had to be closed due to the excessive snow.
Event by event
7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Carquinez Strait and Delta
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM PST to December 11, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Carquinez Strait and Delta forecast zone
- Measured
- 45
Winter Storm, Northern San Joaquin Valley
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM PST to December 11, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Northern San Joaquin Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 45
Winter Storm, Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM PST to December 11, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 40
Winter Storm, Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM PST to December 11, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland forecast zone
- Measured
- 40
Winter Storm, Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM PST to December 11, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County forecast zone
Winter Storm, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada
- When
- December 9, 4:00 AM PST to December 11, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada forecast zone
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Surf in California, December 9, 1996
- High Wind in California, December 9, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, December 9 to 14, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Utah, December 9 to 11, 1996
- High Wind in Oregon, December 9 to 10, 1996
- High Wind in California, December 9, 1996
- High Wind in California, December 9, 1996
- High Wind in California, December 9, 1996
- Heavy Snow in California, December 9, 1996
- Heavy Snow in California, December 9 to 10, 1996
- High Wind in Nevada, December 9, 1996
- High Wind in Nevada, December 9, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5578491, 5578492, 5578662, 5578663, 5578664, 5578665, 5578666.